WALTER HILL — Fifth-graders at Walter Hill Elementary School took part in a "Reality Fair" on Wednesday meant to teach them budgeting skills, according to an email from the school counselor.

Schools were assigned a career and given a month's worth of salary to spend at 15 booths at the Walter Hill gymnasium, said Heather Eskridge, the school's counselor.

They were challenged to try to make ends meet and establish a savings account as part of the event, Eskridge said.

Students told Eskridge after the event they learned about the "real world" financial atmosphere through the one-day event.

Motlow lauds Promise community service completion

SMYRNA — Tennessee Promise students at Motlow State Community College had the highest community-service completion rate of all of the state's community colleges, according to a press release from the school.

Promise students were required to complete eight community-service hours by Dec. 1 to retain their eligibility for the scholarship program.

About 88 percent of students completed the community-service element of the program, according to the release.

“Starting with Gov. Bredesen, and now elevated by Gov.r Haslam, we are grateful for the Tennessee Promise and for the hopes and dreams that this will provide to a whole new generation of Tennesseans who might otherwise never have had the opportunity to go to college," said Motlow President Anthony Kinkel in the release.

To remain eligible for the Promise, Motlow students must also maintain a 2.0 grade point average and continue to meet with their mentors.

MTSU songwriters get classes with pros

MURFREESBORO — Songwriting students at Middle Tennessee State University will get additional chances to work with industry professionals through a $10,000 grant from the Academy for Country Music, according to a news release from the university.

The grant requested by program director Odie Blackmon would allow the school's Commercial Songwriting Program to reimburse the professionals' travel expenses when they come to Murfreesboro or Nashville.

“We’ve had several of our advanced songwriting classes up at the ASCAP headquarters in Nashville, so we can be close to professionals,” Blackmon said in a release, “and even with the kindness of ASCAP letting us use space, we still had a lot of obstacles for our students.”

Blackmon said students dealt with time and money obstacles when a two-hour round trip to Nashville was added to a class schedule.

Blackman Middle writes cards for troops

MURFREESBORO — Students at Blackman Middle School wrote Christmas cards to members of the Tennessee Army National Guard earlier this month, according to the school's assistant principal.

As part of the school's Random Acts of Kindness project, every cards were made so each member of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment could have one during a family dinner they had in McMinnville, said Assistant Principal James Festervand.